Chapter 2 (Office of the Administrator)

What are the Agency's mission and vision as carried out by the Office of the Administrator, which includes the Administrator, Deputy Administrator, and Executive Director? The Agency's mission is to improve mobility on our Nation's highways through national leadership, innovation, and program delivery. The Agency's vision is that our Agency and our transportation system are the best in the world. Towards this end, the Agency administers programs to:

preserve, improve, and expand the surface transportation system and enhance its operations, efficiency, and intermodal integration;

provide innovative and effective research and development and market and implement this technology;

provide oversight and accountability for public resources and ensure appropriate uniformity;

provide for efficient freight and passenger mobility to strengthen economic and social linkages;

protect and enhance the environment; and

improve highway-related aspects of surface transportation safety in coordination with the other Department of Transportation operating administrations.

What are the functions of the Office of the Administrator? The Administrator, assisted by the Deputy Administrator and Executive Director:

provides executive direction and leadership over the various FHWA Headquarters and field organizations; and

is directly accountable to the Secretary and Deputy Secretary of Transportation for accomplishing the Agency's mission and supporting the Secretary's goals and objectives.

What offices and key positions comprise the Office of the Administrator? The Office of the Administrator includes the Federal Highway Administrator, the Deputy Administrator, the Executive Director, and their staffs. Some of the other key offices and positions within the Office of the Administrator are as follows:

The Directors of Field Services, who are a part of the Executive Director's office, provide administrative supervision and leadership on strategic initiatives to their constituent FHWA Federal-aid division offices. The Director of Field Services – West provides administrative supervision and leadership on strategic initiatives to the FHWA Resource Center. The Director of Field Services – North is the U.S. DOT Regional Emergency Transportation Coordinator (RETCO) for DOT Region 5 and in that capacity supports DOT's crisis planning, training, and emergency response programs.

The Program Manager for Transportation Security, who is a part of the Executive Director's office, is the Administrator's representative and virtual team leader for FHWA Headquarters staff in identifying and addressing transportation infrastructure vulnerability and other critical transportation system security issues, and collaborates fully with the field staff.

The Program Manager for Public-Private Partnerships, who is part of the Executive Director's office, is the Administrator's representative and virtual team leader for FHWA Headquarters and field staff in implementing and managing initiatives to promote and facilitate the use of public-private partnerships on transportation projects.

The Executive Secretariat, which is part of the Executive Director's office, provides guidance to Agency offices on correspondence matters and serves as the central clearing point for written communications, documents, and action assignments directed to, or issued by, the Office of the Administrator. This office plans and administers a system for expediting, controlling, and coordinating written communications and action assignments to and from the Administrator, the Deputy Administrator, and the Executive Director.

The Program Manager for the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office (JPO) provides executive direction over the ITS JPO which has a Departmentwide role and authority for coordinating ITS program activities and initiatives. The Administrator of the Research and Innovative Technology Administration (RITA) has primary responsibility for the strategic oversight and direction of the ITS JPO, including but not limited to providing policy guidance for ITS programs and activities and coordinating ITS research within the Department. The FHWA Administrator is responsible for ensuring the continuing availability of professional, technical, and administrative services within, or subject to the direction of, the FHWA to support the ITS JPO. The ITS JPO's functions are:

1) Advocacy: Serves as DOT's primary advocate and national leader for the ITS research and deployment program. Maintains relationships with the ITS industry, ITS America and other similar groups, and public interest groups, and represents ITS interests throughout the surface transportation community.

2) Strategic Planning: Establishes program direction for the DOT ITS program under the direction of the RITA Administrator and in support of the Department's Strategic Plan. Supports the RITA Administrator in his/her role as chair of the ITS Management Council and executes the policy direction developed by that body. Supports and chairs the Department's ITS Strategic Planning Group. To assist in its strategic planning functions, enlists the services of an ITS Advisory Committee that provides advice on all matters relating to the study, development, and implementation of intelligent transportation systems.

3) Legislation, Regulations, and Policy: Develops new legislation, regulations, and policies for the DOT ITS program. Works across the Department with those responsible for carrying out these activities.

4) Coordination and Monitoring: Provides cross-departmental program coordination for the DOT ITS program. Conducts regular in progress reviews with those across the Department who are responsible for executing the ITS program elements.

5) Resource Management: Responsible for establishing, managing, and tracking the ITS program budget. Provides spending control and financial accounting for the ITS program.

6) Evaluation and Policy Analysis: Tracks program progress, results, and outcomes through project tracking, program evaluations, and program assessments. Uses the results of these activities to continuously improve the planning and execution of the ITS program.

7) Architecture and Standards: Develops and augments, as necessary, the National ITS architecture and associated standards. Supports the use of the national architecture and standards through the development of policy, guidance, training, and testing.